Short line behind a V drive.

[DmaxJC_ski]

Just curious what the shortest line anyone has skied behind a V drive? Probably against the rules to even talk v drive here.....

[Horton]

@DmaxJC_ski‌ depends on what you mean by V- Drive. I ran my first ever 38 behind a v-drive Infinity. To @Jody_Seal‌ a v-drive is a 4,000 HP flat bottom that will do the 1/4 mile in 4 seconds.

[DmaxJC_ski]

Ok more specific like a sport 200 nautique, or Malibu sunscape. I personally own a Malibu vtx, more for the family use, my oldest daughter and I are surfers as well as skiers, youngest is a kneeboard phenom (in her own vison.. She's 9). It's not a bad boat to ski behind but the more I ski behind direct drives, I have a hard time wanting to ski behind the V drive.

[schafer]

I've skied 32 off behind a 200 sport at 36 mph. It was surprisingly small and flat

[Jody_Seal]

provided one keeps the boat light some of the smaller v-drive ski quite well at line lengths shorter then 28 off. the summer of 94 I skied a lot behind a couple of production super sports. the sport 200 is a far better refined v-drive then the old super sport but again keep the boat light for best results. Aw yes the 4000hp flat!! no more like a 400 hp flat. the boat in my avatar is 50 years old this year and was the boat I learned to ski with that Easter back in 1966 on lake Havasu. Later in the early 80's it was my slalom course practice boat. To this day my wife swears she can drive it better in the slalom course then our modern precision ski machines, foot throttle and all.

[Horton]

@Jody_Seal‌ but you want a 4,000 hp flatbottom

[DmaxJC_ski]

@Horton‌ there's no replacement for displacement! And is there such thing as too much horsepower?

[Boat030]

@Horton who wouldn't want a 4000hp flatbottom??

[mwetskier]

nasa would like a 4,000hp flat bottom for sure. 4 seconds in the 1/4 mile would be at idle.

[Dacon62]

Owned a VTX as well. About as good as it gets for a V drive. Mainly slalom...couldn't take it anymore and bought a Response TXi.

[Boat030]

Probably closer to 5.5-6 second 1/4 mile

[Jody_Seal]

ok 3000 Hp Flat. V-drive

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yl1v8jZj1sA

[Boat030]

That's Randy Ball, good dude but that thing definitely wasn't making 3000 hp on that pass it sounded like crud.

[oldjeep]

15 off at 32 I can't tell the difference between my 2012 vtx and an 04 lxi

[DmaxJC_ski]

I can sure tell the difference on 15 @34 on my vtx compared to the ski 200. I've been contemplating buying a mid 90's direct drive just for skiing. I have my eye on a little lake close by where I live to set up a couple courses on so I would leave it there. It's a very similar shape to Matt Rinis but really wind blocked from all directions, the coast is clear for use by forestry an the gov, but there is one cranky old lady who lives close by that doesn't want us to upset the birds...... I've been driving by this place for 30 some years and you can count the birds on one hand. Suggestions on a good direct drive in that year span?

[oldjeep]

@DmaxJC_ski‌ Does your vtx have the wake hull or the diamond hull? Also, when you ski are you filling the bow tank? If you are either not filling it, or don't have a bow tank then I could see why the ski wake wouldn't be that great. It needs the weight up there to counteract the engine weight.

[DmaxJC_ski]

Diamond hull, I had an 08 with it and now a 10, I have skied behind a relatives with the wake hull

[The_MS]

@‌Dmax 97 on up SN 196

[JJR]

Does anyone have video of a 200 Sport @ 34? Heard too many mixed messages about this boat.

[Wish]

What @MS said.

[Wayne]

[6balls]

what @ms said

[I5boi]

Great... Now it appears I have to include the 200 sport in my boat buying list...

[DmaxJC_ski]

The sport 200 looks comperable to my vtx, I get the same airtime off the wakes at 22. What are the old brendellas like or the older prostars?

[Dacon62]

Vdrive wakes are generally wider, harder and taller. Read compromise. Yes I am speaking from experience.

[crashman]

I went with the two boat system a few years back and haven't regretted it. Every time I ran the numbers on trading my v drive for a ski boat that could meet my needs it made more sense to get a dedicated closed bow for the ski lake (plus I always wanted to own a closed bow). I figured some guys own sports cars so instead I own a sport boat. So the Bubble back nautique lives at the ski lake, v drive goes on the longer trips. It gets a little hectic in the fall getting everything winterized and to storage.

[andjules]

It seems to me there are two reasons to consider a V-drive.

1) You or someone in your family wants the nice interior layout (V-drive interiors have high WAF - wife approval factor)

2) You want a great wakeboard boat that's easy to load with ballast (and you're reading this thread hoping the same boat can be tolerable for slalom)

Often people are looking for a combination of both.

 

I understand #1.

But for #2, I can't recall anyone saying the Sport 200 is a good wakeboard boat (haven't ridden it myself). To a lesser extent, I haven't heard any serious boarders rave about about a diamond-hull VTX... but from experience with other diamond-hull Malibus, wedge + some ballast will usually get you something pretty damn good for wakeboarding/surfing. And in my experience, those are the only two V-drives you hear slalomers mentioning as semi-tolerable.

[oldjeep]

You forgot

#3 There is room to put all the stuff that 4-8 people need without having it laying all over the floor.

#4 Less chance of getting swamped by a canoe wake when using the boat for something other than skiing ;)

 

But seriously, a v-drive is an all around boat for people who actually want a boat and not just a tug to drive back and forth in a straight line for 10 minutes and then put it back on the lift. I love skiing behind a DD, but they are fairly useless for anything else.

 

[Ed_Obermeier]

A V-drive is a compromise boat, plain and simple. Over the years I've skied behind several, there is not a one I've tried (admittedly haven't tried every V-drive made though) that I'd ski hard behind, too much air time and injury potential. If you're at all serious about progressing in the course a V-drive ain't gonna cut it.

 

Secondly, I respectfully disagree with the statement "...but they are fairly useless for anything else." Depends on the boat. The LXI/TXI as one example makes a pretty good family boat with the roomy open bow and a filler cushion in it. No you can't put 10 - 12 people in it but 5 - 6 is doable for a family wally outing. That's more than plenty of company AFAIC.

[oldjeep]

@Ed_Obermeier‌ - as long as the water is calm. Having spent quite a bit of time in an LXI, there is no way you can use the bow in anything more than a moderate chop and if you get out onto a big lake you may need a boat with a deeper V to "plow the road" for you just so you can get back to the launch.

[oldjeep]

And I'd give myself an off-topic if I could since my versatility tangent doesn't have anything to do with the original question.

[Ed_Obermeier]

@oldjeep, Agreed. We don't do a lot of really big lakes so wasn't a consideration in my post. The "big" lakes anywhere close to here (Lake o' the Ozarks i.e.) I wouldn't get on in anything less than about a 26-footer.

[Wayne]

Back to the OP topic. I've been trying to find it but just haven't found it yet. Waterski Magazine did a cross over boat article and a long time ago they reviewed the 20LSV (essentially a VTX sans all the wake generating hardware and no tower). I want to say the comments were that you could go 32 off but then spray becomes an issue. It may have been a little shorter line length but I do remember the number being in the 30s.

 

I have only skied the VTX (both hull versions) and the Sport 200 down to 28 off to feel the wake (was not in a course). The Sport 200 was my subjective preference, the VTX was equivalent but different (also the VTX I tried did not have the center pylon option so its pull point was a little further back). Also everything was at 34 to 36 MPH.

 

One thing about the VTX, the wake is WIDE. Which may have been what was throwing me off on liking it.

[oldjeep]

@Wayne - were you running any bow ballast on either the 200 Sport or the VTX? I can immediately tell when we forget to fill the bow tank on my VTX before skiing - oddly it is the only ballast tank we actually use since my kids say the boat has plenty of wake for wakeboarding without any ballast or wedge.

-

@Ed_Obermeier‌ funny thing is that one of the "plowing" events was at LOTO where my father in-law had to follow the Bayliner 195 that I had at the time to get his LXI out to the dam. I kept slowing down and pulling over on the way out to see what he needed since I thought it was odd that he was directly behind me and pretty close at 40mph. Finally figured it out after I saw a wave headed towards the bow of his boat and just put the hammer down ;)

[DmaxJC_ski]

@oldjeep‌ I had front ballast in my 08 and I found that filling it even partly created more prop wash farther back, I use the center ballast 1/4 full on my 10 and it seems to be way better. It is a compromise no doubt, by I have good friends that surf double behind a response LXI with just the wedge. The wife has to have the sun deck on the back of the boat is all I know and there is no comprise on that

[oldjeep]

Hmm, never tried the center ballast - I'll have to give that a shot next season. I was told to fill the bow, which made a big difference in the wake. Normally I've got 2 skinny adult sized people in the back seat when I ski - maybe 280lbs and then maybe 120-135lbs in each of the drivers seat and spotters seat so it made sense that the bow tank would help balance that out.

[Wayne]

@oldjeep‌ the VTX with the diamond hull I was behind didn't even have a bow tank so no ballast at all. It did not have a wedge either (had the bracket for a manual wedge though). So that weight wasn't hanging off the back of the boat.

 

The sport 200 was the same way no ballast at all. In both cases the only people in the boats were the sales person (driving) and my wife.

 

Which hull do you have on your VTX? I thought the wake hull was unskiable. I hit the wake as if I was going for the entry gates and thought I heard the horn from the General Lee of Dukes of Hazard sound off.

[6balls]

I'd run a DD open bow over a cross-over v-drive that isn't good at anything and ok at all if for no other reason that it doesn't drive like a pig by comparison. If I was having your needs I would look for a Bu Sunsetter with the wedge.

[oldjeep]

@Wayne - I've got the diamond hull